Red Bull spoke to Ferrari about engines when Honda pulled out

When Honda announced it would withdraw from Formula 1 at the end of 2021, Red Bull had to find a new engine supplier. One of the steps he took, as Helmut Marko revealed in an interview with Austria’s ORF, was to contact Ferrari.

“When Honda announced its retirement, we didn’t have much of a choice. We also spoke to Ferrari at the time. But you can imagine that if we had a Ferrari engine now, it probably wouldn’t work as well as the factory engine in the Ferrari car“said the Red Bull adviser.

Apparently, this was a possibility dashed too soon. After all, Red Bull first secured the support of Honda for the engines (which were of course designed in-house) and at the same time built up its own powertrain development and manufacturing department.

Meanwhile, Porsche’s proposal to work with Red Bull from 2026, when the new regulations come into effect, has also surfaced, but this has not materialized as both sides failed to reach an agreement in negotiations. Red Bull wants to be an independent producer of its own engines from 2026, while Porsche wanted the upper hand in engine development and a stake in the Austrian team.

Now there is much to suggest that Red Bull will eventually work with Honda, who have expressed a desire to return to Formula 1. like dr Helmut Marko even revealed he will soon be traveling to Japan to resume talks with the Japanese manufacturer. “We are also open to a partnership to reduce the burden on Red Bull. There are talks with Honda who are now interested in working together again. But it has to be done in a way that doesn’t compromise Red Bull’s DNA. It’s all about our incredible flexibility to react extremely quickly‘ said the Austrian.

It is very likely that we will have official announcements at the next Japanese GP, which will be held at Suzuka, a circuit owned by Honda. And what would be nicer for the Japanese to combine this with Verstappen’s title win in this race.